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 See vintage of photographs at the Buena Vista, 2765 Hyde Street |
You'd certainly have
to file this one under "Venerable," and not "New," since the Buena
Vista Cafe has been in business since 1898! The world-renowned venue
at Hyde and Beach Streets is built on the site of the first Native American
settlement in Yerba Buena. The BV operated as a saloon for more than half
a century before Irish Coffee put them on the map. In 1952, on behalf of
the BV, San Francisco writer Stanton
Delaplane recreated the Irish Coffee served at Ireland's Shannon Airport.
Delaplane and then-owner of the BV, Jack Koeppler, experimented extensively
to copy the sumptuous beverage. After much trial and error they discovered
that cream, aged for 48 hours then precisely whipped, would ride the surface
of the drink like a swan. The toddy was complete! Fifty years later the
cafe remains famous for its Irish Coffee. So popular that it's almost always
packed, the BV is one place even the most tourist phobic San Franciscan
will seek out every so often. It only takes a sip to find out why.
Detail I
Irish
Coffee
Place 3 sugar cubes in a
warmed, 6-oz. glass. Fill glass 3/4 full with coffee. To avoid breakage,
pour the hot coffee over a metal spoon in the glass. Stir until sugar is
dissolved. Add |
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Copyright 2001 Hank Donat |